James Bond: 8 Movies You Need To See To Understand Spectre

4. From Russia With Love

After the success of Dr. No, the studio was quick to release a sequel - 1963's From Russia With Love. And it certainly represents the pinnacle of the series. No other film has ever quite managed to be as great as this one and it's where the Bond formula was solidified. The movie features SPECTRE out to exact revenge on Bond after killing their operative, Dr. No. This film is the first to show us how SPECTRE's organisation works - the use of operatives referred to by numbers, brought in from other organizations. Lotte Lenya's Rosa Klebb, called Number 3, is a former SMERSH operative herself. This is also the very first glimpse we receive of Blofeld, although he isn't referred to by name, only called Number 1. He's also missing the trademark suit he'll receive in his full appearance and we only see him petting the cat (another trope that will be revisited later) and wearing a SPECTRE ring. Voiced expertly by Eric Pohlmann, this is a great first look at Bond's arch-nemesis. From Russia With Love was the first time Bond really went up against SPECTRE in a major fashion. But beyond that, it's flat-out the best Bond movie ever made. Connery is at the top of his game, the writing is great, and it completely avoids the more cartoonish episodes that would characterise later entries.